EU To Crack Down On TikTok, Instagram's 'Addictive Design' (cnbc.com) 28
The EU plans to target "addictive design" features on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms, including endless scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and recommendation loops that can steer children toward harmful content. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said new regulation could arrive later this year, alongside an EU age-verification app meant to make child-safety rules easier to enforce. CNBC reports: "We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design -- endless scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications. The same applies to Meta, because we believe Instagram and Facebook are failing to enforce their own minimum age of 13," Von der Leyen said. "We are investigating platforms that allow children to go down 'rabbit holes' of harmful content -- such as videos that promote eating disorders or self-harm," she added.
The EU's executive arm has also developed its own age verification app, which has the "highest privacy standards in the world," according to Von der Leyen. Member states will soon be able to integrate it into their digital wallets, and it can easily be enforced by online platforms. "No more excuses -- the technology for age-verification is available," the EU chief said. The EU Commission could have a legal proposal prepared as soon as the summer, as it awaits the advice and findings of its 'Special Panel of experts on Child Safety Online.'
The EU's executive arm has also developed its own age verification app, which has the "highest privacy standards in the world," according to Von der Leyen. Member states will soon be able to integrate it into their digital wallets, and it can easily be enforced by online platforms. "No more excuses -- the technology for age-verification is available," the EU chief said. The EU Commission could have a legal proposal prepared as soon as the summer, as it awaits the advice and findings of its 'Special Panel of experts on Child Safety Online.'
Wuhoo! Problem solved! (Score:3, Insightful)
We're in to the doom spiral of multi crises
dumb kids is just one of the results
dumb adults is another
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If adults want to use technology that will turn them into mindless zombies or rot their brains then that's their own choice. As long as the risks are published it's none of your or my business what someone chooses to do with their life as long as it's
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The EU is not trying to parent your kids. It's trying to regulate product safety, which governments have been doing for ages.
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It's not perfect
they do think it is, they think it gives them legitimity and leverage vs those companies in the midst of their age verification and vpn control scheme. these guys don't give a fuck about kids, at least not in the sense you might assume (if they're poor.
they're not very bright, though. they're just reckless and depraved.
on the bright side, soon some regulars here won't have to get all apoplectic whenever i post shit that hurts their feelings. i'm fine with watching the decay and depravity unfold in silence.
Re: Wuhoo! Problem solved! (Score:2)
Dumb kids is one thing
( Pause)
Dumb adults is another
Did he just call us "dumb"? Oh, the kids...
Parents (Score:5, Interesting)
Parents need to take some ownership of this issue. My kids were not allowed full Internet access or a cell phone until they were 16 (they are now currently 24 and 25). They rarely use social media because as my one son puts it, "it's a retard fest wrapped in dogged poo." It also helps that I or my wife have never used FB, Instagram, TicTac, etc..I always preached to them that "social media" was actually anti-social in nature and not to get wrapped up in it's BS.
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this is exactly why we don't need regulations for drugs, alcohol and whatever else you want to throw at parents.
yes the teaching starts at home and it should, but society at large (sole reason for a govt) has a burden for allowing these maleficent actors in its eco system.
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how about we remove the kids from the conversation and just say addictive designs are bad. for everyone.
im an "adult" but i don't want this bullshit. so maybe ill sign up as a kid and see if that helps at all. adults are tired of this bullshit too so stop this protect the kids nonsense.
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With all due respect, things have changed a lot in the 12 years since your kids became teenagers.
Most parents are good people with good intentions, but in today's world they just need a little help in steering their children away from the many dangers that are impossible to avoid entirely.
Addictive Design is just Good Design (Score:2)
Re: Addictive Design is just Good Design (Score:2)
Addictive products are just good products! Have a cigar.
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Addictive products are just good products! Have a cigar.
If you're an adult who understands the risks and still wants a cigar, why not? I've never understood this obsession some people have with forcing others to be virtuous in spite of themselves. If your religion and/or personal code of beliefs says you can't partake in $VICE, that's entirely on you.
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We regulate certain things more or less out of existence because they're dangerous. Certain types of products which people can't or won't make themselves can be prohibited from sale, for example. I generally am in favor of legalizing things and enforcing laws against fraud, so that people get honest information about consequences, but I also like for people to be protected from other people.
Tobacco products are my favorite example because they affect people who aren't even using them. We allow them to persi
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"And did we tell you the name of the game, boy? We call it riding the gravy train."
They will fail to fix the problem (Score:2)
and make everything worse
Government is a blunt instrument with limited ability so solve problems
Highest privacy standards? (Score:2)
The EU's executive arm has also developed its own age verification app, which has the "highest privacy standards in the world,"
Such as? Will the application use some kind of device level PGP, or another independent encryption standard, with the keys being held by the user? If we take it less literally, are they simply saying they'll try and care more than other nations, which is such a low bar, it's a limbo bar set 3 metres off the ground. It's not private unless the person in question getting verified, has 100% of the control, and since Age Verification is all about side stepping user rights, the contradictory statements of "high
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The privacy standards: The website only gets to know 1 bit of information (whether your age is above a threshold), the government does not get to know which website you consult, multiple verifier services can be used (you can choose one you trust); the protocol was designed openly; the app is open source.
You can check:
* Technical Annex B on Zero-Knowledge Proof and the rationale for Elliptic Curve... (ECDSA) https://ageverification.dev/av... [ageverification.dev]
* The paper on "Anonymous credentials for the ECDSA" https://lists. [w3.org]
Endless scrolling is not an issue (Score:2)
The real problem is endless content. Ban endless scrolling and they will go back to the old model - endless pagination.
The EU Ministry of Truth will provide all info (Score:2)
as you can't leave that up to TokTik and Instabook because all them youngster might just pick up wrong ideas.